The Bhagavad Gita: Its Feeling and Philosophy

by B.V. Tripurari

The Bhagavad-Gita is India's most concise expression of the perennial philosophy. Speaking directly to the soul, it pinpoints the cause of all suffering-material attachment-and offers a remedy to this common human malady: the paths of right livelihood, mystic insight, devotion, and ultimately unconditional love. In this edition, Swami B.V. Tripurari comments on the Gita's philosophy in contemporary language, making it both traditional and contemporary at once. Replete with original Devanagari script, word for word translation, and English translation of the text, Swami Tripurari's commentary brings to light the spiritual emotion of Krishna and Arjuna as they discuss the nature of enlightened life.

Genres: Hinduism

648 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Kreeti Shakya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the English translation of the Hindu epic Bhagvad Gita. It contains word-by-word translation, an overall verse translation and the author's interpretation of the verses. The book is simple to read and very useful for those looking forward to read and understand this scripture. The best part of this book is that it doesn't tangent from the essence of the original book (something I found in another translation by a different author) and the author's interpretation is about clarifying the texts and not engaging in a personal debate. There were, however, names of certain people used in the author's interpretation whom I didn't recognize and thus felt it slowed down my reading. Anyways, I simply escaped reading these lines and just focused on the translated part of the text. I cannot yet say if this is the best translation of Bhagvad Gita yet but it was definitely a good one.

(*This is a review of the book by Swami B.V. Tripurari and not the Bhagvad Gita. Afterall, who am I to question the song of God?)

[Madhav · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author offers significant insights on the meaning behind the choice of words, the flow of the language, and the tone of the text, thereby uncovering deeper layers of meaning that can be drawn from the text.

Also gives a scholarly and reverential overview of other great commentators on the Gita from a lineage of great spiritual masters.

A comprehensive contemporary commentary steeped in tradition. Suitable for all kinds of readers since the author is sensitive towards modern sensibilities.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully bound, well researched. However, the spiritual commentary consists mainly of tracing the etymological nuances of Sanskrit words, as well as referencing upcoming verses without offering any actionable or inspirational prose. Early on, I found myself frustrated that instead of commenting on a verse, the author would consistently use the page to comment and compare it to an upcoming verse. I certainly would not recommend this as your first trip into the Gita, but I could see it being useful and enjoyable to more studious readers. However, I am going to have a hard time parting with this text because it really is so beautifully bound, with color illustrations and three ribbon bookmarks.

[Ravi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The word to word translation of the Bhagavadgita text is exactly what I wanted so that I get a chance to understand the 700 verses of the 18 chapters in my own way without getting influenced by the experts' interpretation and commentary. As such, I conveniently skipped the author's matured commentary and only read the raw word to word translation.

I'm particularly fond of and impressed by the insightful chapters relating to Sankhya Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Gunatraya-Vibhaga Yoga.

[Madhav · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd sincerely recommend reading "Bhagavad Gita It's Feeling and Philosophy by Swami BV Tripurari" as it brings out the meaning and significance of each word and offers deep insights as he uncovers the layers beneath each verse with deep devotion. The author explains the reason behind the way the text flows or the choice of words or the language used which adds a lot of depth to your understanding. Additionally he adds comments from other significant commentaries so that you end up with a broad based solid understanding of the Bhagavad Gita. It's suitable for all kinds of readers.